How to be an aristocratic invalid

Will need to call upon the wisdom of the collective, here. A friend of mine (who I know through my sister Jenny but who I have resisted poaching because I'm just nice like that, Jenny) has just been put on bedrest because of pregnancy complications. And she's already bored out of her mind. So we're trying to come up with things that she can do to keep from going insane. Here is what I would do if I were on bedrest.

Work on my list of SLAs--I still need to see Bleak House, Daniel Deronda, He Knew He Was Right, and Middlemarch. And then watch North and South and Persuasion a few more times for the hotness.

Blog lots more.

Call up work every day, ask how things are going, and then interrupt whoever is speaking with a loud "SUCKAAAAHHS!" and then hang up, giggling.

Nap a lot.

Read chick lit until my brain melts.

Knit, because then I would have something to show for all that sitting around. Plus, knitting is hip now.

Cross stitch. I realize that cross stitching is not hip anymore. But I used to do it all the time when I was in junior high (while listening to the Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera soundtracks, because I'm cool like that). It is very relaxing, I think.

Create a little home office on my lap, like this one from Real Simple. Because then you can be Busy and Important in bed.

Write. I could finally start writing that novel. Of course, there's no telling what kind of a novel might come from a bed-ridden, stir-crazy person. Would have to take that into consideration. I could write my life story, which would enthrall the masses. Oh! Or I could work on family history--start interviewing family members on the phone and getting all their great stories and writing them up. If I were a mommy person, I could work on journals for my kids. Or I might get into the world of fan fiction and start writing stories about the love Horatio and I share.

Listen to language CDs.

Figure out how to roll my r-r-r-r-r-rs.

Listen to Audiobooks. And speaking of, Librarian Chick has put together an amazing list of free book and audio book sites. I'd also use Net Library--my library, along with all other UT libraries, has a subscription. Just call your local library and ask them for their Pioneer access code. You can download thousands and thousands of audiobooks and ebooks to your computer or MP3 player for free (not iPod compatible, though, which is kind of stupid).

Learn the guitar by watching instructional videos on YouTube.

Develop an addiction to opiates, like many fashionable lady invalids used to do.

That's all I have at the moment, but it's enough to make me want to get myself bed-ridden. Anyone have any other good ideas?

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